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Dissatisfied with Los Angeles County’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lancaster City Council unanimously has voted to form its own public health agency.

The council also on Thursday unanimously passed a symbolic “vote of no confidence” of Barbara Ferrer, the county’s public health director, who has been leading the county’s charge against the coronavirus.

Mayor R. Rex Parris blamed county officials for not considering smaller cities — like Lancaster, where the population is about 158,000 — when making sweeping decisions, such as the county’s recent decision to suspend outdoor dining.

“What I don’t want our city to do is to make decisions based upon anything other than what’s supported by the research and the people most knowledgeable about this — which I would suggest to you is not Barbara Ferrer,” Parris said.

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